章 1543: Chapter 1039 Shocking the Worldly People (16)_1

"I spotted an unfamiliar suspect near the Brooklyn Bridge. My first instinct was to apprehend him," Peter explained to Shiller, spreading his hands out. "But the moment I saw him, I noticed that although his equipment was well-crafted, he seemed inexperienced in actual combat. His fighting skills were poor, he couldn't adapt on the spot and he appeared quite stiff."

Now, Peter is indeed qualified to say this. Matt and Erica have been learning fight techniques under the Stick's tutelage for several years. Every skill Peter learned from Stick, he imparted to Peter. Steve had also been sparring consistently with Peter, effectively resulting in Peter's fight skills embodying the essence of Eastern and Western martial arts.

Combined with his continuous exposure to actual combat, Peter now qualifies as a fight master. His skills are a far cry from his initial days of basically getting by.

Harry, however, is simply a college student and a fan of fighting. His physique is decent but a fan's skills can't match those honed in the heat of real combat. Nor does a body trained on the gym or soccer field compare to Spider Man's strength.

Furthermore, while Harry's biotech Battle Armor originated from the study of Symbionts, it has stripped away a significant Symbiont advantage: the armor isn't capable of self-awareness.

Old Osborn deemed the Symbiont's self-awareness as the biggest instability factor. So while the battle armor he invented resembles the Symbiont Factor, it's essentially a lifeless object. Unlike a Symbiont, it cannot inherit fighting skills from its previous host. Apart from its decent defence and flexibility, there's not much to recommend it.

"We only fought for a couple of rounds before I almost had him under control. All the while managing to keep him away from densely populated areas and pushing him toward the river to disable his hoverboard," Peter continued.

At this point, Peter furrowed his brows, paused for a moment, and continued, "But during our fight, I noticed something odd."

"I tried to knock him out several times by punching him in the head, but I noticed that each time his defensive moves were strange. Normally, someone would guard their head like this..."

Upon saying this, Peter simulated a punch-covering gesture, his arms curved and positioned on either side of his head, hands guarding the back of the skull.

"But he was different. Whenever I swung at him, he instinctively retracted his move to shield his mask. This puzzled me. Would he rather have his mask intact than sustain a head injury?"

Peter had come a long way from being an inexperienced newbie. In addition to acquiring Steve and Matt's fighting skills, he also adopted Shiller's knack for observation and analysis. During a fight, he didn't just brute force his way but paid careful attention to perceived weaknesses.

"I noticed that his mask was made of Vibranium. Of course, Vibranium is expensive which elevates the cost of the mask. But I figured, anyone who can afford to make a mask out of Vibranium would not risk their own safety for its sake. "

"So I guessed that he was protecting his mask to prevent it from falling off. In other words, he didn't want anyone to see his face. He likely has a secret identity, which could be his weak spot."

Peter had barely finished when Shiller clapped. He chuckled while looking at Peter. "Peter, you've truly changed."

Peter rubbed his head and sat down again, giving a modest smile before speaking again, "So, I adjusted my focus during the attack, increased feints to distract him. Eventually, I got the chance to lift his mask near the Brooklyn Bridge."

"Behind the mask, to my utter surprise, was Harry's face. He was my best friend, and he has helped me a lot..." There was a trace of pain in Peter's demeanor.

"When he realized that I knew his identity, he panicked, crashed into the bridge pier of the Brooklyn Bridge. His hoverboard broke down. Falling towards the river, I knew he couldn't swim. So I jumped into the river and pulled him out."

Heaving a deep sigh, Peter continued with a slight sorrow, "Harry was really angry with me for deceiving him..."

"I tried to explain that these gadgets all came from Stark's lab, and I'm really just a poor kid with no money. But he said that still wasn't a reason to deceive his best friend by not revealing my true identity..."

"That was indeed wrong of me," Peter admitted remorsefully. "But you know, there's a bit of a... thing between Osborn Group and Stark Group."

"If I told him that his best friend was Spider Man who uses Stark Group's products instead of those from the Osborn Group, wouldn't that be indirectly suggesting that Osborn Group is inferior to Stark Group?"

"He's the son of the Osborn Group, and he has recently taken over part of the family business. If he found out about this, he would definitely be angry. Just like how Mr. Stark was angry when he found out that I wasn't using the new battle suit. So that's why I hesitated to tell him..."

Peter finished with a crestfallen look, "But what's worse, Harry told me his father is after me, planning to capture me for research."

"I know many people are watching Spider Man, wanting to know why I am so strong. I've even noticed quite a few military and CIA personnel watching me. They are probably more interested in the technology in my battlesuit."

Peter shook his head, deepening his despondency as he thought about his current predicament.

Since he started using his new battlesuit, he has not only attracted the attention of those interested in his physical abilities, but also those intrigued by the new technology in his battlesuit. This includes the military, constantly dreaming of creating lethal machines, and the CIA, believing that "any technology not under their control is a threat."

Peter had been fitting in his patrols around New York amidst a busy life of scientific research. He spent most of his time evading these annoying monitors, which irked him considerably. Peter continued, "

"I explained a lot to Harry, I said we could go to Uncle Osborn together and talk. If he is interested in the genes in my body, I am not against collaborating on research. If he thinks the technology in my new battlesuit is intriguing, then we can cooperate ..."

Peter stood up again and began pacing, saying, "I proposed many plans, each one thoughtfully considered, surely capable of making progress. But for some reason, Harry disagreed!"

"I understand that he's always been somewhat intimidated by Uncle Osborn. Uncle Osborn is a strong and shrewd businessman, and if I were his son, I would feel pressured too. But bottling up these feelings is not the solution!"

Peter, his head down and pacing, continued, "Since Uncle Osborn is a businessman, there should be nothing we can't negotiate, right? If he wants my genes, he could buy them with money, or exchange them for technology. This wouldn't make them feel indebted ..."

"But the more I talk, the angrier Harry gets. In the end, he left on his own. I tried to stop him, but he insulted me ..." Peter's tone becomes more indignant, and starts to sob, saying incredulously," He ... he even mentioned ending our friendship! I don't understand how he could be so heartless!"

"I met Harry on my second day of University. At that time, he was extraordinary, a star, and welcomed by everyone, but he chose to be with me ... Oh, back then, I was a nerd, academically successful, but with zero social skills. I couldn't even join any clubs. He still chose to be friends with me ..."

"He was my first real friend. I never thought anyone would appreciate my character. Even Uncle Ben said I was too introverted, a bit stubborn, and not good at communicating ..."

"Harry is completely opposite to me, he is very sociable, lively and cheerful. He fits in everywhere he goes. We are polar opposites, yet we get along very well ..."

"For the last four years, during school times, we have been inseparable, he took me to various club parties while I shared cutting-edge technological stories and information with him ..."

"I thought, after handling my current work next year, I would work in the research laboratory funded by the Osborn Group in the Solar System Development Plan. As long as the lab under his name produces one or two iconic products, he will be well qualified to take over Uncle Osborn's place, and the fussy shareholders, who are always being complained about, wouldn't have anything to say."

"But I didn't expect that he could say such words today ..." Peter sat on the couch silently weeping, his voice hoarse, "Although I didn't tell him I was Spider Man, he suddenly donned a uniform and set off explosions around the city, and he didn't inform me, did he? Doesn't he know how dangerous that is? How could he do that?!"

Peter's tone became more and more aggrieved, and more and more distressed. Shiller had never seen Peter cry so intensely before.

Peter had been seriously injured several times, but he never shed a tear. He had also faced immense pressure, so much so, that it could be said he was bearing the fate of the human race alone, but he never expressed his feelings in such an aggrieved manner to anyone.

But this time, Peter showed signs of not being able to stop his tears, his upper body started to convulse and he breathed heavily in a troubled manner. Shiller shook his head. Perhaps, Harry didn't realize how important he was to Peter.

However, it made sense, Peter was always reserved, even in his Spider Man suit and despite being a chatterbox, he rarely opened up. Apart from Gwen, few of his peers really understand him.

The mutation of the spider genes was both a blessing and a curse for him. The Spider-sense would allow him to judge whether those approaching him harbored any malicious intent. He would be able to recognize the malicious, two-faced nature of people at a very young age.

Perhaps some of the people who were trying to befriend him were harboring great ill-will. This would surely have left Peter confused and then over cautious, unwilling to readily accept the goodwill of others.

However, eventually Harry broke through Peter's self-protective instinct. He helped Peter purely out of friendship and successfully entered Peter's inner world, making Peter truly regard him as a friend.

The more value Peter placed on his friendship with Harry, the more heartbroken he would be today. Not only were they now at swords' points, but they were also unable to communicate, and even mentioned ending their friendship.

People tend to feel the most pain during the first heartbreak, and at this moment, Peter was destined to taste the bitterness of loss.

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